Humidifier



June 29, 1926. 1,590,893

w. B. HODGE HUMIDIFTER Original Filed April 25, 1923 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 June 29,1926. 1,590,893

W. B. HODGE HUMIDIFIER Original Filed pril 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 ww y w. B. HODGE June 29 1 926.

KUMIDIFIER I mm-qthe junction of the currents.

Patented June 29, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT oFricE.,

WILLIAM B. Hones, or CHARLOTTE, noinrrr canonrna, ,as'sreuon rro rnitxsbnairnn COMPANY, or rrrcnrune, MASSACHUSETTS, A ooRro A'rIoir or mnssndnusnrrs.

HUMIDIFIEFR.

Application filed April .25., 1923, Serial No. 634,640. Renewed May .18, 1926.

This invention. relates to humidifiers of the centrifugal type, and resides in features of arrangement and construction which im prove the general operative characteristics, and particularly the evaporative efliciency, of devices of this class.

The device belongs to that general type in which a rapidly rota-ting disc discharges water centrifugally in a thin film against an annular atomizing baffle.

The baffle is specially designed to effect apeculiarly fine atomization of the water, and to be capable of sustained action without loss of atomizing efficiency-by reason of the fact that it is continually scoured clean by the impinging water and hence does not accumulate a covering of dust and lint, as do the blade atomizers heretofore. generally used.

A fan is used in conjunction with guide cones or air deflectors, to produce; two annular air currents one of which flows at a lower velocity than the other and enters the faster moving current at a decided angle to the direction of flow of the latter. The two currents meet within the casing of the humidifier and the water is atomized in the slower moving current a short distance above This gives an opportunity for the slow moving air to take up the fine mist while the large drops, if any are present, are not taken up but are projected against the casing of the humidifier and condensed at the place where the two currents merge and the direction of the slower one changes.

In this way the slow current heavily charged with fine mist delivers this mist to the rapidly flowing air current and at the sametime assures the rejection of large drops by the faster current. V

This is an important feature, for an air current flowing fast at thepoint of atomization will pick up large drops of water and carry them out of the machine where they are precipitated and cause damage. This fact has heretofore limited the speed of air currents through devices of. this general class, with resulting limitation of the volume of air handled and serious limitation of the evaporative efficiency of the machine.

My improvements not only increase the volume of air handled by a given size of machine and the eyaporative :eficieircy of the machine, but there are certain additional advantages. The high velocity of air discharge carries the mist far into the room increaslng the range of effectiveness of the device, and virtually eliminating any tendency of mist laden discharging air to return to the inlet and recirculate. This wide-diffusionof the discharging air ;makes it possible to run the machine successfully at a very high ev-aporative rate, first because a large volume of air passes through the machine and second because the discharging air is immediately mix-ed with a very large volume of air in the room, and hence can be discharged from the machine very heavily charged with mist without danger of precipitation.

The form and arrangement of the parts, as above outlined, involved marked advantages.

The effectiveness of'the device may be fur- I ther increased by the use of special "material for the wetted surfaces particularly the centrifugal discs and the atomizing baffle. I have discoveredthat certain cupro-nickel alloys approximating 35% copper and 65% nickel, Monel metal being typical of the class, have the peculiar property of facilitating the flow of water over their surfaces in very thin films. This conduces to fine atomization in normal running, and is important in establishing normal operation at starting. In closely regulated rooms the humidifier is stopped and started at frequent intervals by automatic devices which either turn the water off and on or start and stop the motor. During starting particularly there is a tendency to discharge large drops of water and the use of the specialalloy is peculiarly effective in reducing this tendency.

The various details above enumerated are the more important elements of the inven tion, but there are other features of patent able novelty which will be disclosed in connection with the preferred embodiment of the invention.

This preferred embodiment is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a view, partly in front elevation fandlpa-rtly in vertical axial section of the complete hmnidifier.

vFigure 2 is a fragmentary perspective View a of, the atomizing deflector ring;

"Figure 3 is a view partly in sideelevation,

but'chiefiy vertical axial section shoiw' i t mrzee aim and meter-amt with room whose air is to be humidified. The particular manner of supporting these uprights 'willdepend upon the nature of the building and, being not a feature of theinvention, 1S

not illustrated. The members 11 are connected by brackets 12 to the upward and outw'ard flaring support ring 13 (which normally supports'the atomizer, fan and motor unit) and to the upward and outward flaring water-collecting pan 14. The connection betweenthe ring 13. pan 14 and brackets 12 is made by means of bolts 15 and spacing tubes 16. The ring 13 and pan 14 are further connected and braced by a plurality of radially disposed distance pieces or spaces 17 rigidly connected to each, and these spacers 17 serve to support and position a removable flaring annular battle or deflecting cone 18 spaced at its lower edge a considerable distance above pan 14, and smaller than'and located concentrically within the supporting ring 13. v

A second flaring baflie or deflecting (zone 19, smaller than and positioned concentrt cally within the baille 13, is removably mounted on a second set of radially disposed supports or spacers 20 rigidly connected thereto. The spacers 20 provide aninterva between the loweredge of baffle 19 and pan 14 through which all excess ater may flow to the center of the pan. A drain connection 21 carries such water away. The re movable strainer 22 is provided to prevent clogging of the drain by lint and dirt washed from the air and carried to the cen ter of the panby the water.

' Rigidly mounted on the pan 14, diametrically opposite each other, aretwo fittings 25, each of which carries an upstanding water nozzle 26. These two fittings are connected with each other by an arcuate pipe 27, and one of them is provided with a water supply connection 28. The supply of water throughthe connection 28 is commonly controlled by automatic means not shown). The effect of the controlling device may be to vary the effective pressure head on the nozzles 26 or to turn the water on and 0H",

according to the type of control adopted.

Journaled in the supports 11 is a horizontal shaft 31 which carries a pair of parallel v lever arms 32 fixed thereon. The lever arms 32' are formed with opposite extensions 33 which serve as actuating handles. Pivoted to the ends of the lever arms 32 are corr By pulling down the handles 33, the lever arms will act through the links 34 to elevate the spider 37 and, when elevated, this spider may be swung on the trunnions to give access to the apparatus suspended beneath. the spider 37." and hereafter de-' scribed. The offset in the links 34 permits the movement of the lever arms 32 past their dead center so that, at the limit of movement of the arms 32, 33, the spider is automatically retained in its upper position.

To counterbalance partly the weight of the spider 37 and the mechanism carried thereby, I make use of two balancing spring structures each including a crank 38 fast on the shaft 31, a guide tube 39 pivoted at 40 to the corresponding upright 11, a connecting rod 41 pivoted to the crank 38, and a compression spring 42 confined between the upper end of the guide tube 39 and a pair of lock nuts 43 on the lower end of the connecting rod 41. The nuts 43 are adjusted so that the two spring devices exert the desired counterbalancing effect. Various equivalent mechanisms might be substituted, but the one illustrated is preferred because of its neatness and simplicity.

The spider 37 includes two, cross-arms 45 and an annular rim member 46. The train ending Jortion 48. an inward extendin flange which last lies in contact with the ring 4, and an outwardflaring rim or flange 50 which extends from the lower margin of the cylindrical portion 43. The rim of the flaring flange 50 is stiffened by a head 51, and the parts are so proportioned that the headed edge 51 rests upon the supporting ring 13 when the spider 37 is in its lowermost or normal position. In order to center the skirt 50,the ring 13 is provided at its inner margin with a narrow flange, 52.

The interior surface of the cylindrical portion 48 supports a strip of corrugated sheet metal 53 whose form is clearly shown inFigure 2. This corrugated metal serves as an atomizing baflie against which the water delivered throughthe nozzles 26 is projected by the centrifugal discs. These discs, two in number, are illustrated at 55 and =56. They are held spaced by distance pieces 57 and are connected by rivets passingthrough these distance pieces lso The discs 55 and 56 are off annular 'form,

and ;each is provided at its inward margin with a down-turned flange, the flanges of the two discs straddling the tips of the nozzle 26, as is clearly shown in Fig. 1, so that these nozzles deliver their water into the space between the two discs. The upper disc 55 is provided with an upturned flange at its outer margin, and thelower disc 56 with a down-turned flange at itsand is driven by an electric motor 61 mounted on this spider. The conducting cable 62 serves to connect this motor to any suitable source .of .current. The means for controlling the operation of the motor do not form a part of the present invention,

and are not illustrated, but it will be obvious :to those skilled in the art that the flow of current .to the motor may be controlled by an automatic mechanism, which may or may not also control the flow of water to the connection 28. The device is susceptible of automatic control by various specifically different mechanisms, and no limitation to any particular type of control is implied.

Motor 61 drives the fan blades 57 insuch direction as to deliver air downward, and this air flows through the annular space between the skirt '50 and the deflecting cone l8, and also at higher velocity through. the annular space between the deflecting cones 18 and. '19.

Assuming that water is :being delivered from the upper ends of the nozzles 26, it will-flow over the opposed surfaces of the two discs 55- and 56, and will be discharged centrifugally from the periphery of these discs. The water. discharging in thin films and with high velocity, will impinge upon the corrugated ring surface and willbe dashed into line spray. The downward current of air through the space between the skirt and deflecting cone 18 will produce an intimate contact between. the atomized water and a considerable volume of air. As the air moves downward and changes its direction to flow out beneath the ring 13. the momentum of the larger particles will cause .them to strike against the pan .14 where they will condense and flow to the center of the pan. At the same time, a large volume of rapidly flowing dry air will be- 1 delivered by the fan through the space between the deflecting cones 18 audit) and,

'flowiagaut and with the stream of mist laden air,will assist in evaporating andcarrying away the finely atomized particles of water.

For this reason, the device operates to produce a very fine spray in the slow moving air current delivered bythe fan, and then to mingle this portion of the air current with-the remainder of the air delivered by thefainso that, after the spray has been created and has been started-in motion-in the slower moving aircurrent, it is mixed with and accelerated by the rapidly mov ing air current. This action is favorable to effective humidi-fication, and is favorable to the wide dissemination of the mist laden air in the room, without danger of precipitation. I

The atomizing ring 58, having no sharp edges and no deep pockets, does not tend to collect lint or dirt, but is, in fact, scoured clean and kept clean at all times by the water projected against it by the rotating discs.

The effectiveness of the device is materially increased by making the. discs and 56 and the atomizingring 53 of Monel metal, because of the peculiar property of this metal of distributing the water in very thin fllms. .While the use of this metal offers its most striking advantages in connection with the parts just enumerated, I prefer to construct all .wetted parts of the humidifier of Monel metal, or ofsome approximately equivalent alloy, as such construct-ion involves advantages.

Devices of this sort as customarily installed are frequently put into and out of action byan automatic control mechanism of one or another type. In closely controlled rooms, the stopping and starting will occur many times in an hour.- WVhenever the machine is shut down, there is a tendency for the water to collect in drops insmall puddles which are blown out into the surrounding air as the machine starts up again. Water in contact with Monel metal does not tend to collect in drops or small puddles to the extent that it does when in contact with the metals heretofore used in humidifiers; for example, zinc'or copper. Consequently, the use of this alloy for all parts whose surfaces are wetted during the operation of the device reduces and, in fact, almost entirely eliminates, any tendency to discharge large drops in stopping and starting. 7

AneXaminat-ion of Figs. 3 and 4 makes clear the fact that all water connections are in the fixed pan structure, and that, by means of the lever mechanism, the motor, fan and water atomizing devices may be raised clear of the pan and, when raised, may be rocked on'the trunnions 36 to give easy access for cleaning and'inspection. g

The counterbalancing action of the springs 42.,- androareiful attendee tet i lQ-vaiieeet iUi) the trunnions 36 with reference to the center of gravity of the entire mechanisms supported thereby, permits the above operations to becarried out with the minimum physical effort.

As a result of the various features above set forth, the device has shown in actual service that it possesses a very highevaporative rate and thatit is capable of maintaining this rate almost indefinitely.

lVha-t is claimed is 1. A humidifier of the 'type in which water is atomized by discharging it centrifugally from a rotary element, characterized by the use of a cupro-nickel alloy of substantially the composition of Monel metal for the wetted surface ofsaid element.

A. humidifier of the type in which water is atomized by discharging it centrifugally from a rotary element against an adjacent atomizing element, characterized by the use of a cupro nickel alloy of substan tially the composition of Monel metal for the wetted surfaces f said rotary and atomizing elements.

3. A humidifier of the type in which water is atomized by mechanical means, characterized by the-use of a cupro-niclrel alloy of substantially the composition of Monel metal for the wetted surfaces of the humidifier structure.

4%. In a humidifier, the combination of a rotatable disc composed of a cupro-nickel alloy of substantially the composition of Monel metal; means for rotating said disc; means for feeding Water to the surface of said disc; an annular atomizing member composed of a cupro-nickel alloy of substantially the composition of Monel metal, having corrugations extending transversely to the plane of the disc, and surrounding the disc in position to atomize water centrifi'igally discharged therefrom; and means for passing air through the atomized water.

5. In a humidifier, the combination of a rotatable member comprising two discs spaced apart; means for rotating said discs; means for feeding water to the space between said discs; an annular atomizing memher having corrugations extending transverselyto the planes of said discs, and surrounding said discs in position to atomize water, centrifugally discharged therefrom;

and means for passing air through the atom-' ized water.

6. In a humidifier, the combination of an annular rotatable disc;'means for rotating said disc; means for feeding water to the surface of said discs; an annular atomizing member surrounding said disc in position to atomize water centrifugally discharged therefrom; and means for passing two cur rents of air, one throughthe interval between the periphery of said disc and said atomizing member, and the other through annular rotatable disc; means for rotating said disc; means for feeding water to the surface of said dlsc; an annular atomizing member surrounding said disc in positionto atomize water centrifugally discharged therefrom; means for passing two currents of air, one through the interval between the periphery of said disc and said atomizing member, and the othe through the center of said disc and then outward and into thefirst current issuing from the interval aforesaid; and air-deflecting and watercollecting means positioned at the junction of the two currents and servin to produce a change of direction of the first current, whereby large water drops are eliminated from the discharging air; i

8. In a humidifier, the combination of a water-spraying member comprising two annular rotatable discs spaced apart; means for rotating said water-spraying member; means for feeding Water to the space between the discs forming said member; an annular atomizing member surrounding said waterspraying member in positlon to ZLfOHllZG water centrifugally discharged therefrom; and means for passing two currents of air, one through the interval between the peripheries of said discs and said atomizing meniber', and the other through the opening at the centers of said discs and then outward and into the first current.

9. In a humidifier, the combination of a watenspraying member comprising two annular rotatable discs spaced apart; means for rotating said water-spraying member; means for feeding water to the space between the discs forming said member; an annular atomizingmember having corrugations extending, transversely to theplan-es of said discs, and surrounding said water-spraying member in position to atomize water centrifugally discharged therefrom; and means for passing two currents of air, one through the interval between the peripheries of said discs and said atomizing member, and the otherthrough the opening at the centers of said discs and then outward and into the first current. i

10. In a humidifier, the combination of a water-spraying member comprising two annular rotatable discs spaced apart; means for rotating said water-spraying member;

means for feeding water to the space be tween the discs forming said member; an

through the interval between the peripheries of said discs and said atomizing memher, and the other through the opening at the centers of said discs and then outward and into the first current; and air-deflecting and water-collecting means positioned at the junction of the two currents and servin to produce a change of direction of the first current, whereby large water drops are eliminated from the discharging air.

11. In a humidifier, a casing unit including in a single structure means for directing the air flow through the device, means for directing water to an atomizing device and means for collecting and discharging surplus water; a water-atomizing unit including in a single structure a motor and a water atomizer and a fan both driven by said motor; and a mechanism for guiding and moving said units relatively to each other, whereby they may assume alternatively a coactive position for normal operation and a non-coactive position for inspection and cleaning.

12. In a humidifier, a fixed casing unit including a water-collecting pan provided with a drain for excess water, a series of concentric flaring baflies spaced above said pan and one or more upwardly directed nozzles; a water-atomizing unit including in a unitary structure a motor having a vertical rotary shaft, an annular water-spraying element mounted on the motor shaft, a fan mounted on the motor shaft and a fixed atomizing ring surrounding said waterspraying element; and a mechanism for guiding and moving said water-atomizing unit between an upper inoperative position and a lower operative position in which said fan serves to feed air through the center and around the periphery of said annularwater-spraying element and between said concentric baffles, and in which said waterspraying element is in the discharge path from said nozzles.

13. In a humidifier, the combination of a fixed support; a casing structure including a water-collecting pan and an air baffle fixedly mounted on said support; a drain connection leading from said pan; a waternozzle mounted in said pan and provided with a water supply connection; a frame movably mounted on said support; a motor on said frame and having a rotary shaft; a water-spraying disc mounted on said shaft, said disc being, in the normal position of said frame, in the path .of discharge from said nozzle; a fan also mounted on said shaft and arranged to discharge air, in the normal position of said frame, past the periphery of said disc and through air passages defined by said bafiie and pan; atomizing means serving to atomize water -centrifugally discharged from said disc; and a mechanism serving to shift said frame and the parts supported thereby from their normal position to one in which they are spaced from said casing structure.

14. In a humidifier, the combination of 'means for producing two currents of air, one

flowing faster than the other, water atomizing means arranged to deliver atomized water into the slower moving current and a guide structure serving to discharge the slower moving current into the faster moving current at an abrupt angle to the direction of flow of the latter.

15. In a humidifier, the combination of faster moving current at an abrupt angle to,

the direction of flow of the latter.

16. In a humidifier, the combination of a fan, a guide structure constructed and arranged to divide the air discharged by said 7 fan into a central rapidly flowing current and a surrounding annular slower moving current; water atomizing means constructed and arranged to deliver atomized water into said slower moving current; and deflecting means serving to direct the central rapidly flowing air current radially outward to mix with the water laden slower moving air current.

' In testimony whereof Ihave signed my name to this specification.

WILLIAM B. HODGE. 

